


(A)light

by stumphed



Category: Bandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-08
Updated: 2011-11-08
Packaged: 2017-10-25 20:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/274315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stumphed/pseuds/stumphed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pete can't sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(A)light

**Author's Note:**

> posted on September 13, 2006 on LJ  
> written in 20 minutes without using backspace. unbetaed.

There's this light. Coming in through the window just, the blinds are closed but the light just keeps coming. Washing out the interior of the bus. Bright light in the middle of the night. He can't figure out why it doesn't keep everyone else awake. He couldn't fucking get to sleep with that much light coming in the window if he emptied a bottle of Tylenol PM. It's a tricky light, only choosing to illuminate boring things. Nothing to keep him distracted. Instead of falling on the stack of movies packed with detailed images and ironic names, it hits the shopping list. Toilet paper and Slim Jims. Nothing interesting about that. Boring. Humdrum. Vapid. Tame -- he runs out of words. Fuck. Stupid light. Instead of shining in on Patrick's shoulders, it shines on his feet. One finger instead of a hand. His chin instead of his neck. Frustration. The whole world's out to get him and he can't even get the satisfaction of studying the face of the one person in his life he has no reservations about. Stupid of him to feel this way about his best friend, it's almost self-annhiliation, or at least self-sabatoge, to have a best friend like Patrick who makes every girlfriend and every one night stand seem hollow. Hollow vs Hallow. No one else can compete. A second on stage with Patrick means more than an hour spent kissing a girl he's really into. And it's not their fault. It's no one's fault they can't compare.

Pete laughs bitterly.

"Go back to sleep, Pete." Patrick's voice never startles Pete. It could never sneak up on him. Spook him. It's only ever comforting. And safe.

"Can't. Fuckin' light's burning a hole in my skin."

"Come over here. It's not so bad." Pete knows not to wake Joe or Andy. It's just a bad idea in general. Waking Patrick is last on the list of things he likes to do, he looks so perfect and untouched when he's sleeping, but Patrick usually wakes up anyway. Strange how that happens. He tries not to do something, tries not to hurt someone, (tries _so fucking hard_ ) and it ends up happening anyway. He's always felt fiercely protective of Patrick. Trick. Hallowed ground. Funny thing is, Patrick's the one always protecting _him_.

 _It's all inside out._

"What?" Pete's used to Patrick reading his mind, but sometimes it's weird.

"The blanket's all inside out and shit. Kick out the bottom--yeah. Now lay down and go to sleep," Patrick says.

So Pete does.

**Author's Note:**

> http://stumphed.livejournal.com/567576.html


End file.
